Appeal for local schoolboy

Evan Dovern and his mum, Michelle with the Dee Kramer photograph being raffled as a fundraiser for Evan.

EVAN Dovern is an Albion Park High School student who is doing well at school, has a delightfully pleasant demeanor, has a great sense of humour, has all of the vim and vigour of any healthy 15 year old, has a passion for V8 Super Cars, is creating his own action packed computer, and has Muscular Dystrophy.

Evan has only has partial use of his arms and is paralysed from his neck down.

Evan's real passion is computers. He went on a school excursion recently to 313 Entertainment, Media & Arts and came home ecstatic. He told his parents about the great day that he had.

He says desperately wants to do two night courses at the school.

They have a Macromedia Dreamweaver course and a Macromedia Flash course, both of which would help me enormously with my computer game, said Evan.

Evans mum, Michelle, and dad, Ron, who are separated, are both real Aussie battlers who love their son. They share Evan's care and as a result, both have taken low paid jobs that allow them the flexibility to care for Evan. To know them is to understand why Evan faces life with such enthusiasm, humour and courage.

About five years ago, Evan had a Starlight Foundation Wish granted and he got to meet one of his racing car heroes, Mark Skaife. As a result of that meeting, Evan features in Mark Skaifes autobiography. For a while, Evan maintained email contact with Mark, but because he spends his time between his dads place without access to a computer, and his mums, he lost contact.

One local lady, Lorraine Lopich has made it her mission to try and make a difference to Evans life.

People may be aware that recently, Evans parents specially equipped, 21 year old Tarago was stolen, used in a robbery and stripped of all its wheelchair access equipment and was damaged when recovered by police, said Lorraine.

Evan and his family are doing it tough tougher than most.

I am committed to raising the funds for Evan to attend the two computer courses he wants to do and to enable the purchase of a laptop computer that he can take with him when he stays with his dad, said Lorraine..

We are undertaking a number of activities including raffling a framed Dee Kramer aerial photograph of Lake Illawarra, holding a fund raising trivia night, organising a charity fashion parade and holding a fund raising dinner/event.

My goal is to have raised the funds within the next month.

Lorraine says that the new Shellharbour branch of the Bendigo Bank provide a trust account for Evans appeal.

We are really counting on local businesses and the community to get behind this appeal and help out this fabulous young man and his family, Lorraine said.

Anyone interested in buying a $2 raffle ticket, making a donation or attending one of the fund raising events can contact Evans mum on 0431 378 716